Leontyne Price overcame racism and hate to become a famed international opera star; Price’s celebrated career served as inspiration for African-American female vocalists such as Jessye Norman and Grace Bumbry, who followed in her footsteps.

Manoori, Ukmina. With Stephanie Lebrun. Trans. by Peter E Chianchiano Jr. I am a Bacha Posh, My Life as a Woman Living as a Man in Afghanistan. 2014. 242. Skyhorse, $24.95 (9781629146812). Gr. 8-up.

Though she was born a girl, Ukmina’s father declares her a “son” soon after her birth. Raised as a boy, Ukmina relishes her freedoms, and refuses to go back to living as a girl when she hits her teens. She makes the brave choice to live as a man and later becomes an advocate for the rights of women in Afghanistan.

Lucy Peevey dreams of leaving Sunnyside Trailer Park, and becoming a scientist like Sally Ride. Because her mother is mentally ill, it falls upon the Lucy to keep the family together, making it extremely difficult for her to realize her goals. But Lucy isn’t one to give up.

12-year old Amina hopes to attend school one day, but is told by her mother that girls should only marry and bear children. When the Janjaweed militia group invades her village, Amina’s dreams are shattered. Having endured heartbreaking losses, Amina struggles at a refugee camp. There, she is given a red pencil to record her thoughts…soon, she begins to hope again.